From College Friends to Business Partners – Our Story

We met between 2009 and 2012 at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. Even then, we dreamed of realizing software projects together. After graduation, everyone initially went their own way – and in retrospect, that was exactly what made us stronger. Everyone gained different experiences and learned different approaches to solving problems. The idea of starting a company kept coming up until it became concrete in 2019: Our own company, on the condition that we treat each other fairly.

I completed my first projects while still in school. Over the years, numerous websites and applications were created for a wide variety of clients. One of them became the foundation of a partnership that continues to this day: In 2008, as a student, I developed management software for AB SportEvent. This solution still supports the company today – with continuous development over 17 years now. Such long-term partnerships show what is possible when you understand software not as a one-time product, but as a shared journey.

From the very beginning, it was important to us that we – at least among friends – didn't want traditional employment relationships. We wanted to work as equals. The topic of equality was something that had been missing for all of us in previous projects and why we wanted to start this company. Many companies communicate flat hierarchies but don't live by them. At IDENTIC, it should be different: genuine, not just communicated.

I've always enjoyed organization – even during my training, I took on a lot of coordination and was responsible for projects. At IDENTIC, I'm the interface to tax advisors, banks, and lawyers. I catch things before they become problems. Everything that doesn't belong to any department lands with me. I prepare decisions so others only need to approve or reject. This work is often invisible – but without it, many things wouldn't function.

Without the support of the others, I probably wouldn't have dared to take the step into self-employment. Over the years, we've become a well-coordinated team. Good design means good communication – direct or indirect – paired with evoking emotion. It works best when it's not intrusive. At IDENTIC, this means: Design shouldn't stand in the way of individuality, but still create a brand identity that provides a framework. That's exactly what we try to implement for our clients as well.

At my previous employer, I had realized that I wanted more: more responsibility, more technical challenges, more development opportunities. IDENTIC enabled my entry into self-employment – with training, support, and recommendations for external projects. It was a leap into the deep end, but with a safety net of people who believed in me. This combination of supporting and challenging still shapes our way of working today.

What convinced me about IDENTIC from the start: Everyone decides for themselves when, where, and how much they work. Those who contribute more get more out of it. It sounds simple, and at its core, it is. And I like that simplicity. I always knew I would be self-employed someday – the idea of being responsible for what I do and the freedom that comes with it has always appealed to me. I knew that risk and hard work were part of it too.

Our projects range from medium-sized companies to DAX corporations. The longest partnership has existed since 2008: AB SportEvent still relies on a solution that we continuously develop – from the first website to fully integrated business software.

At RWE Supply & Trading, we were able to demonstrate over several years that we deliver reliably even in complex corporate structures. At the same time, we value working with smaller companies: e-commerce modernizations like Geschenkzeitung, AI solutions for media companies like Handelsblatt, or brand development for young businesses. This diversity shapes our way of working.

Through client projects, I gained an important insight: Even in large corporations, things don't always run as professionally and efficiently as you might imagine. There are also people working there who struggle with the same challenges as us. This experience showed me that our technical expertise can compete at the same level. Being recognized as a competent partner by a DAX corporation as a small team – that's not a given, but it's possible.

Not every project was a success. We explored business areas that proved to be unsustainable. These experiences were intense but instructive. They showed us what really matters: a reliable team and focus on our core competencies. In a short time, we experienced a lot, tested many things, and quickly recognized where we actually want to go professionally. That ultimately saved us time – even if it didn't feel that way in between.

With my focus on machine learning and AI, I was looking for projects in this context. The Handelsblatt project combined exactly that: AI, audio processing, and the opportunity to incorporate parts of my interests. Since the team was half made up of friends from university, there was no traditional integration phase. Working with friends makes the entire work atmosphere relaxed – everyone meets as equals.

As the youngest team member, I particularly notice what has become natural for the others: The combination of casual and familial, yet professional and structured at the same time. When you come from traditional corporate structures, this balance takes some getting used to. Here, tasks aren't simply delegated – they're solved together. That's something completely different from top-down directives. Modern technologies, real teamwork, pulling together – that's what convinced me.

At IDENTIC, the line between work and collaboration among friends blurs. This creates an atmosphere where you can discuss openly – without political games, without hidden agendas. It often doesn't feel like work because you can sit together in meetings just like during an evening among friends. This culture isn't coincidental, but the result of a conscious decision for the right people.

You often notice how differently we think about some things. But that's exactly why everything complements each other so well – everyone can usually develop freely. We've grown together very strongly over the years. I value the others as sparring partners for concepts and implementations alike. This mix of different perspectives and mutual trust is what IDENTIC means to me.

We want to focus on what we're good at. The core team has remained – the people you can really rely on. We don't need or want a complicated structure anymore. They're not just colleagues, they're friends. I hope we continue working together and develop good ideas for our own projects. And that we all have enough freedom for the things that matter to us.

The exciting question: Will our model work in the next phase too? What if we need to build new pillars together? Of course you think about it. Are you doing everything right? Are you going the right way? There are doubts too – and the thought that you could make it easier for yourself. But easier has never been what drives me.